To Find Peace
by princessofthedeadsheep
Summary: Ib and Garry, racked with PTSD, escape to Waffle Island in the hope of easing their symptoms. platonic Ib/Garry
1. Arrival

**I know, another story! Another that I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with. this is going to be a lot of fun, I can tell. At any rate, this is something I think I just needed to write. Let me know if there's anything at all you disagree with, my writing and my accuracy in portrayals can always improve, I'm sure.**

"So what brings you to Waffle Island?" Pascal asked as he swiped a wrist across his forehead under his captain's hat and smiled as he turned to the young man.

"Peace and quiet," he responded with a hint of a smile. The young girl who had come with him wasn't paying any attention, staring out at the sea.

"Well you can get plenty of that on the Island," Pascal said with a smile. "Remind me, what were your names again?"

"I'm Garry, and the little one is Ib," he said, gesturing towards the girl. Ib turned a bit at the sound of her name, but Garry merely ruffled her hair and she returned her attention to the sea.

"I see. Well, you'll be pleased to know we don't have many issues on the island. We used to have trouble with the harvest, but we've recently been blessed by the Goddess tree again, and everything is very tranquil now. There are also several children around for Ib to play with."

"I'm glad to hear it," Garry said politely.

"Oh, if you don't mind me asking, what are your favorite foods? I ask all the newcomers" he said with a grin when Garry raised his eyebrow.

"Ah, well, Ib and I are both found of sweets, right Ib?"

"Macaroons," she said, finally turning around to look at Pascal. Garry chuckled at her answer.

"Yes, especially macaroons."

"Well there are plenty of sweets made by some of our favorite cooks. Chase and Yolanda make some of the best dishes you'll ever taste. Just don't eat anything Maya's cooked. Bless the girl's heart, but she burns everything she touches." Pascal chuckled, and Garry gave a small smile while Ib looked on somewhat blankly. The two were a strange pair, Pascal thought, the small serious girl with red eyes and straight brown hair in a pretty red dress starkly contrasted by the tall man with purple hair with some darker purple streaks towards the top in the shaggy coat and run down trousers. His hair reminded Pascal of Julius, though the clothes weren't as fashionable as Julius preferred, and the man, strangely enough, spoke more femininely.

"Is that the island?" Garry asked distracting Pascal from his thoughts. Garry could see an unusual amount of rainbows around the land that had come into the coast line.

"It is indeed," Pascal said after he turned to see what Garry was talking about. "I'll just steer us in and we'll be there in a couple of minutes." Silence reigned until they gently collided with the dock, Pascal jumping out to secure the boat before gesturing his two guests off. "Welcome to Waffle Island." He said, helping Ib get off and Garry to follow.

Ib didn't say anything, only grabbed at the side of Garry's jacket and looked around. There was a man on the beach who looked sort of intimidating, and she thought further back she saw a woman with blue hair a few shades different from Garry's walk into a store. There was a white cat in front of the fishing store that wasn't too far off the dock. She started a bit when Garry called her name. He smiled when she turned to him.

"We have to register with the town hall, so I'm going to take you with okay?" she nodded even as she saw Pascal draw out their luggage behind Garry. She frowned and pointed. Garry looked back and seeming to understand her meaning, explained. "Ah, that's part of his job, to make sure nothing is lost. We'll take those to the inn when we're done."

"I'll have them taken to the inn, don't you worry your mind about it." Pascal smiled. "Go on and head to the town hall. It's the building at the top of the stairs that way," he pointed towards the other stores. "Can't miss it." Garry nodded and gave his thanks. The two headed towards the town hall, ignoring all the strange looks they gathered, despite the few that were around. They entered the large building and were immediately greeted by a woman behind a cash register.

"Oh, you must be the new comers! I'll go get the mayor." The woman dashed off for no more than a few seconds and returned with a pudgy man with strange, pointed hair. Breifly Garry wondered how much hair jell the man needed to keep his hair like that. He could feel Ib move a little closer to him and he placed a hand on her small shoulder.

"Hello, you must be Ib and Garry. I'm so pleased to see you both. May I ask how long you plan to stay on the island?" The man asked, being rather informal, especially if this guy was the _mayor_.

"We don't know. Indefinitely at this point, I guess." Garry shrugged his shoulders and gave a smile to the man in front of him even as he squeezed Ib's shoulder.

"Well we'll get you settled at the Sundae Inn! Selena is the only other guest there right now. We don't get a whole lot of them at once." He said with a sad smile.

"That's fine," Garry said with a shrug. He thought but didn't say, _that's why we came here_.

"There are all sorts of things that you can do on the island. You can fish, mine, farm, ranch... well you'd have to stay to farm and ranch permanently, but if you're interested the families around here would be happy to have some extra help." He said as they followed him back out of the Town Hall. Both Ib and Garry briefly wondered what the point of going there had been, but Garry forced himself to listen to the man and Ib found her attention wavering between him and her surroundings.

It was very peaceful in this town, compared to the city they had come from. It was quiet, and the breeze was strong but pleasant. It smelled of flowers but did not remind them of roses. The people looked on with curiosity, but there were so few that it almost didn't matter. Almost. It reminded Ib of some of the paintings which watched but didn't attack, out of reach but still a threat. Or worse- the windows. _Someone was on the other side of the window. There were people behind the windows, looking at her with wide eyes-_

"Ib?" Garry was suddenly kneeling next to her and she realized that she was shaking and her breath was coming in fierce little pants. "Hey Ib it's alright, breath with me," and he was breathing with her, and she put a hand on his heart, which was beating far more calmly than hers. It took her a few moments to calm down even a little bit and she threw herself into Garry's arms. It only took a little bit longer now that she couldn't see the people behind the windows for her body to calm down completely. She didn't leave Garry's arms. Garry turned towards the man. "Mayor Hamilton, as grateful as I am for the tour, I believe that Ib and I should get settled in our room at the Inn."

"Of course, of course," the Mayor said, trying to restrain both his sympathy and curiosity. "Right this way." He led the two to the Sundae inn and held the door for Garry, who was still holding Ib to his chest. There was a man behind the counter with Grey hair, a woman with short orange hair was talking to him from in front of the counter. A pink haired woman spoke to a boy with blondish red hair over at a sink, and a girl with blonde pigtails on either side of her head was scrubbing a table. All looked up with some surprise at the sound of the door opening.

"Do you think you can walk on your own?" Garry whispered to Ib, who nodded against his chest, though she was reluctant. He placed her gently on the ground, though he didn't attempt to let go of the hand that held his own in a death grip.

"Welcome to the Sundae Inn." The woman with short orange hair stepped forward as she spoke, smiling came forward, "I'm Colleen and my husband Jake and I run this Inn." She gestured to the man behind the counter who smiled and gave a small wave of greeting.

"Your luggage arrived not too long ago," the man gestured to where there bags were, by the stairs. "Do you know how long you'll be staying?" Garry shook his head.

"As long as we need to," he said. "Is there a room with two beds available?"

"Indeed there is," Jake said as he worked at the register. "Since you don't know how long you'll be staying we'll have you pay by the week. I'll just require a down payment for this week." Garry and Jake sorted out price and then Ib and Garry were led upstairs by Colleen, who told them meals would be included with the price of their stay. They settled themselves into their room in silence, the door closed and only the occasional sound of overt movement. When they were done, Ib curled up on her bed, and Garry sat by her, stroking her hair. She curled towards him, and they sat that way for a little while, enjoying the silence and the bits of peace it brought.

"We'll find a way to make it work out Ib." Garry said quietly. "We'll find a way to get better here." Ib said nothing, closed her eyes and moved closer to Garry.


	2. Settling In

**Garry is going to be doing most of the talking for this story, I've realized. Makes sense, since Ib barely talks at all. Nothing too exciting in this chapter, it's mostly establishing here, a necessary evil. Still,I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next.**

"Do you have a phone? Our room doesn't have one and we need to make a call." Garry asked Colleen when they finally went back downstairs.

"Oh, I'm afraid that the only phone we have is the one behind the counter, we rarely need to make phone calls around here, so I'm afraid it won't be very private." Colleen answered apologetically.

"That'll do fine Ma'am," Garry was quick to reassure her. She led him to the phone and Jake moved out of the way. Garry quickly dialed the number, Ib at his side watching as she clutched the side of his coat, a habit she'd developed. The phone barely rang once before it was picked up.

"Hello?" A woman answered it hurriedly.

"It's me. I'm calling to say we got here fine." Garry said.

"Oh thank goodness! We knew there wasn't supposed to be any bad weather or anything but we were worried!" Ib's mother gave a sigh of relief. "Sweetie, it's Garry! He says they got there safely!" she called away from the phone, her voice becoming slightly distant before she began to talk to Garry again. "So do you think it'll help?"

"Yeah, it's a nice place. Calm, quiet... we should be fine here."

"I'm glad to hear it," the woman responded before there was a sound of movement and Ib's father came on the line.

"I want to talk to Ib!" he demanded a bit breathlessly. Garry briefly wondered what the man had been doing that required him to run to the phone before he handed the phone to Ib.

"Your father," he said simply. She nodded and placed the phone to her ear... Then proceeded to say nothing. It was a mark of how well her parents knew her that her father guessed this meant she was on the phone.

"Ib, you there? Are you alright? Do you feel okay?"

"Yes father."

"Garry's keeping you safe?"

"Yes father."

"That's good. You haven't forgotten your manners have you?"

"No mother."

"Good. Is there anything you think you're going to need right now?"

"No mother."

"You know we're only a phone call away if you need something."

"Yes mother."

"We only want what's best for you Ib."

"Yes father."

"We love you Ib."

"I love you too." Rather than say goodbye, Ib left it at that and handed the phone back to Garry who looked slightly amused.

"Me again," Garry said as he brought the phone to his ear. "This number is to the Inn, so if you need to get in touch with us in a hurry, it should do. I'm going to buy a phone later so that we won't have to talk in the lobby all the time."

"Understandable," her father said. "Have there been any... incidents since you left?"

"Ib had a bit of an... issue, but it passed and she's doing better." Garry said, lowering his voice to avoid the curious ears of the inn's inhabitants.

"Alright. Just... take care of her, for us, please." Her mother sounded desperate and sad, and Garry wished he could make it better but he really couldn't.

"Of course," was all he said. They gave their goodbyes after that, Garry even coaxing one out of Ib. When they were done, they asked if they could have their dinner then, and were quickly seated and given menus.

"Hello! I'm Maya. Can I get you anything to drink?" the waitress-the girl with pigtails- asked cheerfully. Garry smiled at her.

"Just water, if you please." He said while Ib nodded in agreement. She smiled and bustled off. Garry turned towards Ib who was silent as she looked at the menu.

"So what do you think you're going to get?" he asked her. She shrugged then turned her crimson eyes to him. She was so tired, he thought, and it showed. People were often so caught up in the unusual color of her eyes they missed the bags that were being developed from fitful sleep. He was better at hiding it- he needed less sleep, and he wasn't as prone to night terrors or nightmares, though they still plagued him. "Well how about this?" he asked, distracting himself from his thoughts. She looked at the thing he pointed at (which honestly, he had barely looked at beyond seeing it was an item on the menu) and shook her head. Then she pointed towards something else. "Pancakes for dinner Ib?" Garry teased her, but she only looked up at him determinedly and he laughed. "Alright, alright. But make sure to have a side of fruit, okay?" she nodded and he ran a hand over her hair, an affectionate gesture he'd picked up from their time together.

Maya came by again, dropping off their waters and taking their orders. Garry wasn't entirely sure of what he ordered, he'd just pointed to something else on the menu there was a picture of that looked vaguely appetizing. He and Ib sat in silence, something they were used to, content to observe the place instead. They listened to the sounds of their food being cooked and watched the people around them.

People came and went but the two were so quiet in their corner that they actually weren't noticed by the first three people. The first, a girl in very pretty but very strange clothes and bright red hair. Garry guessed she was Selena when he saw her going upstairs. The second had been a girl with bright blond hair tied back in a ponytail, who moved over to speak to Colleen and Jake about something. The third was the mayor himself, who didn't seem to realize they were downstairs.

The fourth person to enter was the first to notice them. She had short brown hair and matching brown eyes and looked a little tired. There was some dirt on her clothes, but she looked well put together despite it. She was looking around, probably for a place to sit down when she spotted Ib and Garry.

"Hello there!" she said with a smile, bounding up to the table they were at. She'd have startled them if they hadn't both been aware of her presence. "I've never seen you before, are you new to the island?"

Garry gave her a tentative smile. "Yes, we are. Just got here today. May I ask for a name?"

"Ah, how rude of me!" impossibly, her smile seemed to go up a few wattages in brightness. "I'm Akari. I'm a farmer, and I live nearby. My husband works at the town hall, but I made him take off today. He has a cold- probably from working too hard, the workaholic." She shook her head fondly. "We've a daughter as well. I'll have to introduce you- and my, I am being rude today! I didn't ask for your names!"

"Ah, I'm Garry and this is Ib." he gestured towards Ib who actually let out a muttered "Pleased to meet you."

"I'm quite pleased to meet you as well! Will you be staying on the island for long?"

"We don't know, we're staying for the foreseeable future at least."

"Well, I certainly will bring my family around to meet you. I hope you like it here!"Akari smiled and waved before she went over to talk to Hamilton, who greeted her with great cheer.

"Well she was an interesting one." Garry muttered to Ib, who nodded. Both felt wary, reminded of the way Mary had been- so happy, so talkative, so friendly. They couldn't act like everyone was like Mary, but still...

Their food arrived shortly after, and the two decided to eat and then retire for the night as the place was quickly filling up with guests of the bar. Ib and Garry went up to their rooms, Ib ignoring most others, clutching to Garry's side and Garry giving polite nods to the people there. They arrived at their room mentally exhausted, and changed into night clothes. Garry was not surprised when Ib crawled into his bed rather than her own, and simply allowed the comfort of life so nearby. It would help keep the nightmares at bay, he hoped.

"Good night Ib." He whispered, holding her close as she curled into his side.

"Good night Garry." She whispered back, barely able to keep her eyes open as she said it. Garry turned the lights out, praying this would be enough.


	3. Strange Characters

**I'm so so sorry how long this took. Can't believe it was so tough to write, but it was! I'm glad to have something though. The next chapter shouldn't be as long a wait, god willing.**

The arrival of two new residents in the small town was of course immediately subject to a great deal of gossip. Those who had seen the two were questioned relentlessly, though their tolerance for such things varied. Hamilton and Pascal were very careful with their words, while Jake, Colleen, and Chase mostly refused to gossip.

"Weren't very talkative but they seemed friendly enough," Pascal said.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be wonderful guests. A bit jumpy, but it's quite a change from the city," Hamilton said whenever he was asked.

Maya, Yolanda, and Elli on the other hand would cheerfully tell anyone who asked everything they'd thought about the two.

"A peculiar pair. Very polite," Elli remembered, "very quiet, reserved. The little girl kept clutching the young man's coat. He seemed happiest when she was in sight. I didn't watch them for very long though."

"Those eyes! Weirdest color I've ever seen." Maya exclaimed cheerfully, "the little girl had such red eyes. She woke screaming in the night, you know. Father went to check on them and it turned out the little girl was having a nightmare, poor thing. Screaming and screaming I tell you, like someone had attacked her. They both looked really rugged the next morning, you know? Tired, probably didn't get any sleep after that."

"Looked like war veterans," Yolanda said with an air of wisdom. "Like they had just come from the front lines. I'd be careful with those two. Probably came here to get away from something."

"I almost wish I hadn't stayed home yesterday," Gill told Akari as they walked back to their house in the Caramel River District. Their daughter walked between them, clutching one of her parent's hands in each of her own.

"Why, so you could gossip with Elli?" Akari teasingly asked him. Gill rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the twitch of his lip.

"Certainly not," he replied, "but I'd much rather see such things for myself than rely on gossip. I'd like to make my own conclusions of the two."

"They seemed friendly," Akari recalled, "if a little cautious. They reminded me a bit of you when we first met, if you had been more friendly than blunt."

"Father is very friendly," Samantha said, looking up at her mother. Akari laughed.

"He tends to be now, but he wasn't very friendly before." Akari told her daughter. Gill snorted (though he wouldn't admit to it if asked) but didn't disagree with Akari's answer.

"I wonder where they've been all day," Akari said. "Maya said they left after eating breakfast this morning and haven't been back since. No one else seems to have heard from them either."

"Well if I were them, I'd attempt to get away from all of the gossip. Goodness knows it spreads like fire around here." Gill huffed disapprovingly. "There are plenty of places they could relax around here. It isn't our business and we shouldn't bother them." Akari gave her husband a fond look.

"Of course, dear," she said, "but we'll keep an eye out. That boy barely looked old enough to buy his own phone." They arrived at their home then, and Akari pulled both Gill and Samantha into making sure that all the animals had eaten before they were sent back for the night.

"Mommy, is that them?" Samantha asked, pointing towards Caramel Falls. Indeed, there were two figures walking on the path towards town. One a tall figure, the other barely reaching half the height of the first. The sun had already set, leaving the scarce light from lamps and moon to show them.

"Don't point Samantha, it's rude," Gill scolded her before looking over at the two figures with interest. It was Akari who called out to them when they stepped out under the lamp close to their house.

"Garry! Ib! Are you two alright?" she called. The two figures paused and turned in their direction. The light lit up half their faces, and it was such a strange picture they made. The man, iris colored hair and a single dark eye visible, looking wary. His clothes looked a bit torn and ragged, though whether it was style or wear was impossible to determine. The girl's eyes almost glowed as the light reflected the ruby red of her pupils. Her clothes had been changed to what looked like a school uniform, a sailor's suit style with a red skirt and neckerchief. Half covered in the darkness, the lack of light only accentuated their tiredness. Both had dark circles under their eyes so deep that they looked like they'd been slugged. Weariness and caution was in every look and every angle. Briefly, Gill reflected that they really did look like wounded soldiers.

"We're fine," Ib said, to the surprise of everyone. She even looked like a quiet child, Akari thought, before she nodded.

"I said I'd introduce you to my husband and daughter, right? Well this is my husband, Gill, he teaches classes at the town hall in the morning, if Ib wishes to attend some time." Gill gave a polite bow.

"I'd be happy to have Ib should she wish to attend." Gill said formally. Garry gave him a smile and a nod, though both looked forced.

"This is my daughter, Samantha," Akari continued, pushing her daughter forward a bit. Samantha bowed and gave a quick, "pleased to meet you." Ib didn't quite copy her and only bowed, giving no verbal response. Garry glanced at her, but seemed to guess that there would be no more words from his companion that night.

"We really should be going," he said, "we need to eat something before we sleep. It's getting so late..."

"Yes, but as long as you follow the path, you'll get where you need to go." Gill told him. "There are no real dangers on this island beyond the weather. Even the strays are friendly around here." Akari giggled at that, though none of the rest had any idea why.

"Yes," she agreed, "and there is still plenty of time before you need to worry about the Inn closing for the night. They're open until one most days."

"Thank you," Garry said as he and Ib began to walk again, "we'll be sure to follow the path."

"So long as it doesn't disappear," Ib murmured so that only Garry heard her. He squeezed her hand as they moved away from the small family.

"Paths don't change here like they do in the gallery," he murmured back. Ib appeared to ignore him, but he knew she'd heard. Behind them, Gill, Akari, and Samantha watched the two with interest.

"War veterans indeed," Gill muttered as he ushered Samantha into the house.

Ib and Garry walked back toward the town, hands clutched between them. The sky stretched out above them- endless and deep and _real_ \- the ground beneath their feet was solid but changed, rugged and uneven in places, unlike the perfect carpeted floor of the gallery. There was ambient noise, the noise of wind and life that had been absent from the gallery when there hadn't been creatures around. The oppressive silence smothering every step and turning their voices quiet as they dared not talk loud enough to attract attention.

"We're safe," Garry tries to soothe Ib as they walk into the town center.

"We're safe," Ib repeats, as though she is trying to taste the truth of the words. She sounds no more convinced than he feels. The paranoia never left. The constant threat of the gallery never ceased. It was always there, the fear that a single wrong step would lead to going back, being where they never wanted to be again. Ib sucked in a breath of the fresh air, glad that it was there. There was nothing fresh in the gallery.

"We should probably make an effort to know who's in the town," Garry said as they arrived at the Sundae Inn. "It will keep us from being surprised, and well, we need to talk to people." Garry looked nervously down at Ib, who nodded slowly.

"Tomorrow," Ib said, looking up at him with the same brave face she'd used in the gallery. It reminded him of when she'd looked at the portrait in one of the rooms and seen her parents. It hurt. It hurt to think of the moment and it hurt to see that face. He pretended it didn't, for both their sakes.

"Tomorrow," Garry agreed. _One step at a time_ , he thought, _hour by hour and day by day_.


End file.
